Emergence was an artistic residency focused on community engagement and site-specific installations, commissioned by Now Then! and delivered across Selby between January and April 2025. The project invited the local community to explore environmental sustainability through artistic expression.

A key challenge of the residency was to create all artwork using waste materials sourced from the three host venues: Selby Abbey, Selby Library, and Community House.

The community engagement programme that developed from this included a range of hands-on workshops: imagining future landscapes through cardboard model-making, crafting spring blooms from scrap paper, pressing flowers using old books, and turning the results into delicate pressed-flower artworks.

The residency also gave me valuable time to explore new creative ideas and themes. Set against the quiet backdrop of the winter months, I I took to looking closely at the small, seemingly insignificant moments of beauty in the landscape around Selby. I became fascinated by the intricate, lace-like structures of decaying leaves and seed heads—symbols of both fragility and resilience. These organic forms echoed the enduring strength and grace of Selby Abbey, creating a dialogue between nature and architecture that inspired much of the work.

Part of my residency included the development of a paper cut installation suspended in Selby Abbey, created entirely from scrap book pages from Selby Library. The installation offers a large-scale interpretation of the intricate forms of decaying seed heads & leaves found within the grounds of the abbey, and asks the audience to slow down & look closely to examine the world around us, uncovering the magic within every season, whether in the seeding, blooming or quiet decay of the natural landscape.

Made with potato starch glue and paper, when no longer needed, the whole piece can be composted or recycled. The fixings & wire will be reused continuously.

The leaves & seeds that inspired the large-scale paper cutting.

Experimental Sound Books

A trio of experimental sound books documents my research and creative exploration during the Emergence Environmental Residency in Selby, commissioned by Now Then Selby. Currently on display at Selby Library, these books combine sound, visuals, and tactile elements to create an immersive response to Selby’s natural and built environment.

Each book has been crafted using scrap and recycled materials sourced from Selby Library, with embedded audio elements that invite deeper engagement with the themes of landscape, identity, and environmental change.

Taking Power: Accompanied by underwater recordings captured in Selby

This book explores the presence and impact of Drax Power Station on Selby’s landscape and communities. Visiting the cooling towers, I was struck by the stark contrast between their vast industrial form and the soft, natural sound of rushing water. Taking Power combines pressed flowers from Selby Abbey with photocopied materials from Selby Library, layered with field recordings of water to evoke this striking juxtaposition of power and fragility.

Nature in Macro: Accompanied by biosonified moss sounds

This piece invites the viewer to observe nature’s smallest details. Featuring laser-cut forms of decaying leaves found around Selby, the book is paired with sounds created through the biosonification of moss—capturing the unseen vitality of natural systems in motion.

Thoughts on Nature: Accompanied by British birdsong

Created in collaboration with Selby residents, this book shares reflections gathered during community workshops. Contributors wrote about their personal connections to the natural world, with many describing birdsong as a powerful reminder of place, memory, and seasonal change. Their words are layered with those sounds to create a collective portrait of nature in everyday life.